Dynamically Requesting Mobile Devices to Report Network Information

ABSTRACT

A mobile communications device may determine whether to report information regarding operation of the mobile device on a mobile network. The determination may be based on a reporting parameter set by a network control device and received via a broadcast message from a radio access node. The mobile device may compare the value of the reporting parameter to a randomly generated number. Based on the comparison, the mobile device may determine whether or not to provide information regarding operation of the mobile device or the radio access node to the network control device. The network control device may adjust the value of the reporting parameter to control the likelihood that a mobile device will report.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.16/520,663 for “Dynamically Requesting Mobile Devices to Report NetworkInformation” filed Jul. 24, 2019, which is a divisional of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/436,075 for “Dynamically Requesting MobileDevices to Report Network Information” filed Feb. 17, 2017, now issuedas U.S. Pat. No. 10,390,218, all of which are incorporated by referenceherein in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure relates generally to the field of mobile networkmaintenance, and more specifically relates to systems and methods fordynamically requesting information from mobile devices to improvecoverage determinations.

BACKGROUND

Operators of mobile networks, including networks that carry voice ordata traffic related to mobile telephones or mobile computing devices,have a need to rapidly identify issues that affect the function of themobile network. An issue that negatively affects the mobile network isnetwork outage, such as a loss of coverage for an area of the mobilenetwork. Loss of coverage can be caused by failure or poor functioningof a radio access node (also “radio,” “node,” or “RAN”), such as a radiothat is providing coverage for an area of the mobile network. It isdesirable for a mobile network operator to quickly detect issues on themobile network and take corrective action, such as by dispatchingtechnicians to fix a problem.

Current solutions for detecting issues include having radios reporttheir current availability and loading, so the mobile network operatorhas information regarding which radios are up and running. In addition,mobile network operators may also use historical coverage informationfrom radios to synthesize a coverage view of the network. For example,based on historical coverage information, a particular radio may providecoverage to a certain area. If the particular radio has a failure, themobile network operator might infer that the area no longer hascoverage. Alternatively, the mobile network operator might usehistorical coverage information from nearby radios to infer that thearea has coverage, or partial coverage, from the nearby radios. If anissue affects only a single radio, the possibility of coverage orpartial coverage can be assessed by looking at historical information ofnearby cells to see if there is likely overlap in coverage.

However, if an issue affects multiple radios on a network, historicalinformation regarding the affected radios may not provide an accurateestimation of their current coverage. For example, an ice storm mayaffect a large number of radios in an area. Some radios may ceasefunctioning, and the mobile network operator may receive informationregarding these failures. Other radios may continue functioning at alesser level, such as if ice is covering antennae of the radios. Themobile network operator may receive information indicating that theseradios are active, but may not receive information regarding the extentto which these radios are functioning or location information regardingthe mobile devices served by these radios. The mobile network operatormay have finite resources available to fix affected radios (e.g.,limited number of technicians). It is desirable for the mobile networkoperator to have current information about radio functionality togenerate an accurate coverage view and prioritize the order the radiosshould be fixed.

It is also desirable for a mobile network operator to receive currentinformation from mobile devices and use it to determine coverage. It isfurther desirable for the mobile network operator to dynamically controlthe amount of information received from the mobile devices in order tobalance the need for information with the impact of sending theinformation on the battery life of the mobile devices, the radioresources of the network, and the computing resources of the network.

SUMMARY

A mobile communications device (e.g., a mobile phone, a smart phone,tablet device, a wearable or embedded communications device) maydetermine whether to report information regarding network functionality.The mobile device may make this determination based on one or moreparameters received from a radio access node. The information regardingnetwork functionality may include information about the operation of themobile device, or information about the radio access node, or othersuitable information.

In one implementation, the mobile device may receive a reportingparameter from a radio access node. When a trigger event occurs on themobile device, the mobile device may analyze the value of the reportingparameter to determine whether it has a predetermined value. When it hasthe predetermined value, the mobile device proceeds to process thetrigger event. When it has a value other than the predetermined value,then in addition to processing the trigger event, the mobile devicegenerates a random number and compares the randomly generated number tothe value of the reporting parameter. When the comparison satisfies apredetermined relationship, such as the randomly generated numberexceeds the value of the reporting parameter, then the mobile devicegenerates a message to the network control device. The message includesinformation related to the operation of the mobile device. In somecases, determining whether or not to report information may be based oninformation about the mobile device, such as a battery level or a globalpositioning system (also, “GPS”) signal strength.

In some systems, the value of the reporting parameter may be adjusted bya modifying factor. The modifying factor may increase the likelihood ofreporting by mobile devices based on their distance from the radioaccess node.

These illustrative embodiments are mentioned not to limit or define thedisclosure, but to provide examples to aid understanding thereof.Additional embodiments are discussed in the Detailed Description, andfurther description is provided there

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, embodiments, and advantages of the present disclosure arebetter understood when the following Detailed Description is read withreference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting an exemplary system capable of providingreporting parameters to mobile devices on a mobile network and receivingoperation information from a portion of the mobile devices.

FIG. 2 is a diagram depicting an exemplary mobile network.

FIGS. 3A-3B (collectively referred to as FIG. 3) are diagrams depictingexemplary network conditions maps.

FIGS. 4A-4C (collectively referred to as FIG. 4) are diagrams depictingexemplary reporting distributions based on reporting parameters havingvarious values.

FIGS. 5A-5B (collectively referred to as FIG. 5) are diagrams depictingexemplary reporting distributions based on reporting parameters havingvarious modifying factors.

FIGS. 6A-6B (collectively referred to as FIG. 6) are diagrams depictingexemplary reporting distributions based on reporting parameters havingvarious modifying factors.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart depicting an exemplary process for determiningwhether or not to report information regarding mobile device operation.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart depicting an exemplary process for determining amultiplicative modifying factor based on a timing advance.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart depicting an exemplary process for determining anexponential modifying factor based on a timing advance and a historicaldistribution.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart depicting an exemplary process for determiningmobile network operating conditions based on information received fromradios and/or mobile devices included in the network.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The described implementations provide techniques for determining when amobile device should report information describing functionality of amobile network. The mobile network may include multiple radio accessnodes and a network control device. The mobile device may accesscommunication services via one or more of the radio access nodes. If oneof the radios in the area of the mobile device is nonfunctional, themobile device may establish communication with another of the radios inthe area. The mobile device may provide information regarding the statusof the mobile device, including information regarding its communicationswith radios. For example, the mobile device may report thatcommunications with the first radio had been interrupted, and that themobile device had a particular geographical location when theinterruption occurred. In addition, the mobile device may report thatcommunications with the second radio were established at anothergeographical location.

The mobile device may determine whether to report information based on areporting parameter. For example, the mobile device may receive thereporting parameter in a broadcast message initiated by the networkcontrol device. When a trigger event occurs on the mobile device, thereporting parameter may be compared to a number randomly generated bythe mobile device. The mobile device may report information when therandom number exceeds the reporting parameter, or otherwise satisfies acriterion. Information reported by the mobile device may be received bythe network control device. The network control device may correlateinformation received from multiple mobile devices, and determinefunctional conditions of the mobile network based on the correlatedinformation, such as coverage areas.

The following examples are provided to introduce certain embodiments ofthe present disclosure. Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is adiagram depicting an exemplary system capable of providing reportingparameters to mobile devices on a mobile network and receiving operationinformation from a portion of the mobile devices. In one implementation,a mobile network 100 includes a mobile device 110, a mobile device 120,a radio 150, and a network control device 170. The mobile devices 110and 120 each determine whether to report operating information to thenetwork control device 170, based on a reporting parameter 175. Forexample, the network control device 170 may assign a value to thereporting parameter 175, and instruct the radio 150 to broadcast amessage 155 including the reporting parameter 175 over a control channelof the mobile network 100. The mobile devices 110 and 120 may eachreceive the broadcast message 155 and later use the value of thereporting parameter 175 to determine whether or not to reportinformation regarding its respective operation status. In some cases,the reporting parameter 175 or the broadcast message 155 may includeadditional information, such as a type of trigger event.

In some cases, mobile network 100 may use one or more control channelsto provide information to mobile devices operating on the network. Eachradio operating on mobile network 100 may use a respective controlchannel to broadcast information that is related to the respectiveradio, such as the radio's identification, location, technology type, orfrequencies used to communicate with mobile devices. The radio 150 mayuse a control channel to broadcast a message 155 including the reportingparameter 175 to mobile devices 110 and 120. The value of the reportingparameter 175 may be particular to the radio 150, or may be the same asthe values of additional radios in the mobile network 100. In somecases, the broadcast message 155 may include information in addition tothe reporting parameter 175.

The mobile devices 110 and 120 may monitor one or more control channelsto receive information from radios within communications range of themobile device. A particular radio 150 may provide service to the mobiledevices 110 and 120, such as by transmitting communications to and/orfrom the mobile devices. Each of mobile devices 110 and 120 may storethe reporting parameter 175 received from radio 150, including the valueof the reporting parameter. Each mobile device may update the value ofthe stored reporting parameter 175, such as based on receiving amodified reporting parameter from radio 150.

Each mobile device 110 or 120 may check the stored reporting parameter175 based on the occurrence of a respective trigger event. A triggerevent may include a communication session with the radio 150 that isinitiated or received by the respective mobile device 110 or 120. Thesession may include an incoming or outgoing communication, such as avoice transmission, data transmission, message via short message serviceor multimedia message service (e.g., text message), an emergency alertmessage, or other communication types. In some cases, the type oftrigger event may be predetermined, such based on as a setting of therespective mobile device 110 or 120. In addition, the trigger event maybe based on an indication included in the broadcast message 155.

Each mobile device 110 or 120 may determine whether or not to reportoperation information in addition to processing the respective triggerevent (e.g., placing phone call, receiving data transmission). In somecases, the mobile device 110 or 120 may generate a respective randomnumber 115 or 125 and compare the generated random number to the valueof the stored parameter 175. The random number may be generated based onlimits (e.g., a random number between 0 and 1) related to the range ofpossible values of the reporting parameter. Based on the relationshipbetween the random number and the stored parameter, the mobile devicemay generate a message including operation information, and transmit themessage. In some cases, the message may be generated and transmitted ifthe stored value exceeds the random number, or is within a particularrange of the random number, or any other relationship satisfyingsuitable predetermined criteria.

For example, mobile device 110 may generate a random number 115 andcompare it to the value of the stored parameter 175. Based on adetermination that the relationship between random number 115 and storedparameter 175 satisfies a first criteria, the mobile device 110 maygenerate a message 117 including operation information regarding mobiledevice 110, and transmit the message 115 to the network control device.In one implementation, the mobile device sends a message to an IPaddress for the network control device. The mobile device 110 may alsoprocess the respective trigger event. In addition, mobile device 120 maygenerate a random number 125 and compare it to the value of the storedparameter 175. Based on a determination that the relationship betweenrandom number 125 and stored parameter 175 does not satisfy the firstcriteria or that it satisfies a second criteria, the mobile device 120may process the respective trigger event without generating a messageincluding operation information regarding mobile device 120. The mobiledevices 110 and 120 may each include a memory capable of storingcomputer-executable instructions, a processor capable of executing suchinstructions, and a transceiver capable of sending and/or receivingmessages from radios, including broadcast messages and incoming/outgoingcommunications.

In some cases, the reporting parameter included in the broadcast message155 may have a particular value (e.g., zero), and the mobile devices mayprocess the trigger event without reporting information. For example,mobile devices 110 and 120 may not generate or compare the randomnumbers 115 and 125 with the stored parameter 175, based on the storedparameter having the particular value.

In some cases, the determination to report operation information may befurther based on a status of the mobile device, such as a GPS signalstrength, a battery level, a charging status (e.g., whether the mobiledevice is being charged), or other suitable device statuses. Forexample, based on the occurrence of the trigger event, each of mobiledevices 110 and 120 may check its respective battery level and chargingstatus. If the battery level is above a threshold capacity and/or themobile device is charging, the mobile device 110 or 120 may performadditional operations related to reporting information, such asgenerating a random number or transmitting the message includingoperation information.

The mobile device may determine what operation information to report,such as a type or quantity of information. For example, the mobiledevice 110 may generate a message 117 including operation information.The generated message 117 may include indications regarding the device110, such as a geographic location of the device 110, recent operations(e.g., transmissions, dropped calls), or an identification of the typeof trigger event. In addition, the generated message 117 may includeindications of components of the mobile network 100, such asidentification of radio 150 or one or more additional radios thatrecently (or currently) have communicated with the device 110, a signalstrength or relative location of the radios, a type of communicationwith the radios (e.g., voice sessions, data sessions), or a history ofinteractions between the mobile device 110 and the radios (e.g., droppedcommunications with a particular radio). In some cases, the type ofinformation reported may be predetermined, such as based on a setting ofthe mobile device 110. In addition, the type of information reported maybe based on an indication included in the broadcast message 155.

The generated message 117 may be transmitted to the network controldevice 170. In some cases, the mobile device 110 provides the message117 via a radio with which the mobile device communicates. The radiotransmitting the message 117 may be the same radio that broadcast themessage 155. Alternatively, the radio transmitting the message may be adifferent radio, such as if the mobile device has commencedcommunications with a different radio subsequent to receiving thebroadcast message. In one implementation, the mobile devices 110 and 120may receive a second broadcast message that includes a second reportingparameter. The mobile devices 110 and 120 may each determine whether toreport additional operation information based on a second value of thesecond reporting parameter.

Determining Mobile Network Conditions

In some cases, conditions of a mobile network are based in part onoperations of components included in the mobile network. FIG. 2 is adiagram depicting an exemplary mobile network 200. The mobile network200 may include multiple radios, each radio having an area of coverage.For example, radio 210 may have an area of coverage 212. The area ofcoverage 212 may overlap with other coverage areas of other radios. Themobile network may include one or more mobile devices in communicationwith the radios. A mobile device, such as mobile device 250, maycommunicate with radio 210 to access a service (e.g., voice or dataservice).

FIG. 2 illustrates that some radios, e.g., radio 220, are no longeravailable. The coverage areas shown for the radios that are no longeravailable reflect the coverage areas for the radios when they wereavailable. In some cases, a coverage area of a functioning radio mayoverlap with a coverage area of a nonfunctional radio. For example,radio 210 may have a coverage area 212 that overlaps with coverage area222 of radio 220. Even though radio 220 is no longer available, otherradios provide coverage for a portion of the coverage area 222 of radio220. Thus, creating a coverage map based on an assumption that there isno coverage in the coverage area of an unavailable radio may not beaccurate.

In one implementation, a network control device may determine mobilenetwork conditions based on information received from both radios andmobile devices. FIGS. 3A-3B (collectively referred to as FIG. 3) arediagrams depicting exemplary network conditions maps. FIG. 3A depicts anexample of a network conditions map 300. A network control device mayconstruct or update the conditions map 300 based on received informationdescribing the operation of mobile network components. For example,radios or mobile devices may provide operation information describing acurrent status, error conditions, current communication sessions (e.g.,between mobile devices and radios), a device identifier, a devicelocation, a volume of communication traffic, signal strength, datathroughput rate, data quality, voice quality, data latency, or any othersuitable information. The provided operation information may includehistorical conditions, such as error conditions detected during a periodof time.

The network conditions map 300 may indicate current and/or historicaloperating conditions. For example, the conditions map 300 may indicate astatus of one or more radios. A functioning radio may be represented byan icon, such as icon 310. A nonfunctioning radio may be represented bya different icon, such as one of icons 320, 321, 322, or 323. Inaddition, the conditions map 300 may indicate a location of a mobiledevice in communication with a radio. The location information may beprovided by a mobile device based on a reporting parameter, as describedin regards to FIG. 1. Locations of mobile devices may be represented byicons, such as by icon 350. The network control device may determine acoverage area of one or more radios, such as by correlating mobiledevice locations to the radio with which each device communicates. Thecoverage area (not shown in FIG. 3A) may be based on the currentlocations of mobile devices, or historical locations of mobile devices,or both.

In some cases, the conditions map 300 may indicate how recentlyinformation was received, such as by altering any of icons 310, 320, or350 based on an elapsed time duration. In addition, radio coverageareas, error status, or communication sessions between radios and mobiledevices may be represented, such as by icons, lines, or color coding.Other information may also be represented.

Based on the received information, the network control device maydetermine that the mobile network has normal or near normal operatingconditions. For example, no more than a limited number of radios areunavailable. Alternatively, the network control device may determinethat at least a portion of the mobile network has impaired operatingconditions. For example, the network control device may receiveinformation indicating that multiple radios 320, 321, 322 withinproximity to one another are unavailable. In addition, the networkcontrol device may receive location information from some of the mobiledevices that are communicating on the network, indicating coverage. Theinformation may be used to prioritize radios for repair or maintenance.For example, for the conditions illustrated by FIG. 3A, some mobiledevices located in the area of radios 321 and 323 may be able tocommunicate with the network, such as via nearby functioning radios. Inaddition, few mobile devices located in the area of radio 322 may beable to communicate with the network. Based on this information, thenetwork control device may determine that radio 322 has a higher repairpriority than radio 321 or radio 323. Once the network control devicedetermines that there are portions of the mobile network with impairedoperating conditions, it may adjust the value of the reportingparameter.

In some cases, a radio may include directional antennas. A coverage areaof a radio may be served by a particular directional antenna of thatradio. For example, FIG. 3B depicts an example of a network conditionsmap 301 representing operations of a radio, represented by icon 311,with directional antennae. The conditions map may represent coverageareas 315 a, 315 b, and 315 c, associated respectively with eachdirectional antennae. In some cases, the radio may be available, but anantenna on the radio may be nonfunctional or functional but providingpoor coverage. For example, violent weather may cause ice or debris toobstruct the antenna. Although the radio may not report an errorcondition, the network conditions map 301 may indicate that the areatypically covered by the antenna, e.g., coverage area 315 b, isreceiving poor service.

Although FIG. 3 depicts operations of a mobile network represented as anetwork conditions map, other representations or data structures may beused to indicate the mobile network operation conditions, includingrepresentations or data structures in a format not readable by humans.

In one implementation, the network control device may requestinformation regarding network operating conditions, such as from mobiledevices operating on the mobile network, to establish representation ofnetwork conditions. For example, the network control device may set avalue of a reporting parameter to a first value. The first value maycorrespond to a relatively small number of mobile devices responding tothe request (e.g., one out of 10,000 mobile devices communicating on aradio). The network control device may instruct one or more of theradios to broadcast the reporting parameter having the first value.Responsive to receiving instructions from the network control device,one or more of the radios may broadcast the reporting parameter havingthe first value.

In response to the broadcast reporting parameter, a first subset ofmobile devices may provide operation information in a first group ofmessages, as described above. The quantity of mobile devices included inthe first subset may be based on each mobile device comparing thereporting parameter to a random number, as described in regards toFIG. 1. The network control device may receive the first group ofmessages including mobile device information, such as via one or moreradios.

The first group of messages may include location information for eachmobile device in the first subset of mobile devices. Based on thelocation information in the received mobile device information, thenetwork control device may determine or update operation information ofthe mobile network. In some cases, the network control device may definea particular coverage area based on the location information. Forexample, the coverage area may be correlated with one or more radiosthat are in communication with the first subset of mobile devices. Insome cases, the coverage area is correlated with the determination thatcurrent network operations correspond to normal operations.

In one implementation, the network control device may receive updatedoperation information from components operating on the mobile network.For example, the network control device may receive radio operationinformation from a subset of the radios indicating that one or moreradios in the subset is nonfunctional. In some cases, the subset ofradios may include additional radios that are located near thenonfunctioning radio. Based on the updated operation information, thenetwork control device may determine that the current network operationscorrespond to impaired operations.

The network control device may determine that additional information mayprovide a more accurate representation of network operations related tothe subset of radios. The network control device may request additionalinformation by adjusting the value of the reporting parameter to asecond value. The second value may be selected to increase a number ofmobile devices responding to the request (e.g., one out of 1,000 mobiledevices communicating on a radio). The network control device mayinstruct one or more radios in the subset of radios to broadcast theadjusted reporting parameter. Responsive to receiving instructions fromthe network control device, the radios in the subset of radios maybroadcast the adjusted reporting parameter having the second value. Insome cases, the network control device may provide multiple adjustedreporting parameters with respective adjusted values, and instruct atleast one radio in the subset to broadcast a respective one of themultiple adjusted reporting parameters.

In response to the broadcast of the adjusted reporting parameter, asecond subset of mobile devices may provide operation information in asecond group of messages, and the network control device may receive thesecond group of messages. The second group of messages may includelocation information for each mobile device in the second subset ofmobile devices. Based on the location information in the received mobiledevice information, the network control device may define a revisedcoverage area. For example, the revised coverage area may be correlatedwith one or more radios that are in communication with the second subsetof mobile devices. In addition, a radio correlated with the revisedcoverage area may have no communication, or limited communication, withmobile devices in the second subset (e.g., a nonfunctioning radio). Insome cases, the revised coverage area is correlated with thedetermination that current network operations correspond to impairedoperations.

Reporting Parameters and Modifying Factors

In one implementation, the value of the reporting parameter may be basedon a probability. A higher probability may result in more mobile devicesreporting operation information. A lower probability may result in fewermobile devices reporting information. The number of mobile devicesreporting may be determined in part based on the value of the reportingparameter. FIGS. 4A-4C (collectively referred to as FIG. 4) are diagramsdepicting exemplary reporting distributions based on various values ofreporting parameters. Each of FIGS. 4A-4C depict a radio, represented byicon 410, with a historical coverage area, represented by icon 420, andone or more mobile device locations, represented by icons such as icon450. The radio 410 may broadcast various messages including variousreporting parameters, and the distributions of mobile devices respondingto the broadcasts may be used by a network control device to constructor update a network conditions map. For example, when a mobile networkhas normal operating conditions, it may be desirable for relatively fewmobile devices to report information. Under normal operating conditions,the radio 410 may broadcast a first reporting parameter with a valuebased on a relatively low probability. FIG. 4A depicts an examplenetwork conditions map 400 based on a relatively low probability (e.g.,probability of 0.0001). The first reporting parameter may result inrelatively few mobile devices reporting information (e.g., one mobiledevice out of 10,000 mobile devices communicating on the mobilenetwork). The current coverage area of the radio 410, represented by themobile device locations 450, may inaccurately represent the historicalcoverage area 420. The network control device may balance the need forinformation describing the current coverage area against the normaloperating conditions and available network resources.

In some cases, it may be desirable for increased accuracy regarding thecurrent coverage area. The radio 410 may broadcast a second reportingparameter having a value based on an increased probability. FIG. 4Bdepicts an example network conditions map 401 based on an increasedprobability (e.g., probability of 0.01). The second reporting parametermay result in an increased number of mobile devices reportinginformation (e.g., one out of 100 mobile devices communicating on thenetwork), and the received information may improve accuracy of thenetwork operation conditions determined by the network control device.Based on the second reporting parameter, the mobile device locations 450may represent the historical coverage area 420 with increased accuracy.

In some cases, the network control device may determine that a highlevel of accuracy regarding the current coverage area is desirable. Forexample, the radio 410 or additional nearby radios may report an error,or the network control device may base the determination on otherreceived information (e.g., service complaints, reported violentweather). The radio 410 may broadcast a third reporting parameter havinga value based on a relatively high probability. For example, FIG. 4Cdepicts an example network conditions map 402 that is updated based onan increased probability (e.g., probability of 0.2). The third reportingparameter may result in relatively many mobile device reportinginformation (e.g., one out of five mobile devices communicating on thenetwork). Based on the increased amount of information received, thenetwork control device may determine the current coverage area with ahigh level of accuracy, and may determine that no mobile devices arereporting information in certain areas of the historical coverage area420.

Each mobile device may determine whether to report information based ona comparison of the reporting parameter value to a generated randomnumber. In some cases, the comparison of the generated random number tothe value of the stored reporting parameter is based on one or moremodifying factors. Including a modifying factor in the comparison mayallow consideration of the distance between the mobile device and theradio when determining whether to report. For example, communicationsbetween the mobile device and the radio may be based on a timingadvance. The value of the timing advance may be used to determine adistance between the mobile device and the radio. For example, a timingadvance with a value of 1 may correspond to a given distance between theradio and the mobile device. In addition, a timing advance with a valueof 2 may correspond to twice the given distance. In some cases, thevalue of the given distance is dependent upon a technology used by themobile network in which the radio and mobile device operate (e.g.,mobile networks meeting the Global System for Mobile Communications(“GSM”) standard or the Long-Term Evolution (“LTE”) standard).

In addition, mobile devices in communication with a particular radio maybe unevenly distributed within the coverage area of the particularradio. The mobile devices served by the particular radio may be morelikely to be located near the radio's location. For example, theparticular radio may be located near a population center, such that mostmobile devices served by the radio are within the population center. Amodifying factor based on distance may result in an increased likelihoodof receiving information from mobile devices at greater distances fromthe particular radio.

In one implementation, a mobile device compares a generated randomnumber to a modified value, such as a reporting parameter value that ismultiplied by a value of a timing advance. The modified value may bedetermined by Equation 1, defined as:

RP*(TA/d)  (Eq. 1)

For Equation 1, RP is the value of the reporting parameter, TA is thevalue of the timing advance related to communications between the radioand the mobile device, and d is a distance factor. The value of d may bebased on the technology used by the mobile network in which the radioand mobile device operate. For example, a radio and a group of mobiledevices may operate on a network where a timing advance of 1 correspondsto a distance of 100 m (e.g., mobile devices located 500 m from theradio will have timing advances of 5). The distance factor d may have avalue of 10. The radio may broadcast a reporting parameter with a valueof 0.1. A first mobile device located 1000 m from the radio maydetermine a first modified value as (0.1)*(10/10), and may compare afirst random number (e.g., between 0 and 1) to the modified value of 0.1(e.g., reporting occurs with a probability of 10%). A second mobiledevice located 500 m from the radio may determine a second modifiedvalue as (0.1)*(5/10), and may compare a second random number to thesecond modified value of 0.05 (e.g., reporting occurs with a probabilityof 5%). A third mobile device located 4000 m from the radio maydetermine a third modified value as (0.1)*(40/10), and may compare athird random number to the third modified value of 0.4 (e.g., reportingoccurs with a probability of 40%). Mobile devices located farther fromthe radio may be more likely to report operating information.

In some cases, the decision to report based on a modifying factorincluding a distance multiplier may provide information from more mobiledevices located in areas with a moderate concentration of mobiledevices. For example, a radio may serve mobile devices where themajority of the mobile devices are located near the radio's location.FIG. 5A depicts an example network conditions map 500 of the radio'soperation, based on comparing a generated random number to an unmodifiedreporting parameter value. The conditions map 500 may represent theradio by icon 510, a historical coverage area of the radio by icon 520,and mobile devices that have reported operation information by iconssuch as icon 550. A particular mobile device in communication with theradio may determine whether or not to report by comparing a generatedrandom number to the value of the reporting parameter broadcast by theradio. Based on this type of comparison, conditions map 500 may providea more accurate representation of network operations near the locationof the radio because of the high concentration of mobile devices inproximity to the radio's location, but a less accurate representation ofnetwork operations near the edges of the radio's historical coveragearea because of the low concentration of mobile devices located in thatarea. The lack of any reports from mobile devices in an area does notnecessarily mean that there is no coverage in that area. It may meanthat there are no reports because the number of mobile devices in thearea is low and the value of the reporting parameter is set such thatthere is a low likelihood that the mobile devices will report.

FIG. 5B depicts an example network conditions map 501 of the radio'soperation, based on comparing a generated random number to a reportingparameter value that is modified based on distance, such as byEquation 1. The conditions map 501 may represent the radio by icon 511,the historical coverage area by icon 521, and the mobile devices thathave reported information by icons such as icon 551. A particular mobiledevice in communication with the radio may receive the reportingparameter broadcast by the radio, and store the value of the reportingparameter. The particular mobile device may modify the stored valuebased on the timing advance related to the communications between theradio and the mobile device. The particular mobile device may determinewhether or not to report by comparing a generated random number to themodified value. Comparisons based on modified values may increase thelikelihood that mobile devices having a higher timing advance (e.g.,located farther from the radio) will report operation information. Basedon this type of comparison, conditions map 501 may provide arepresentation of network operations with consistent accuracy over theradio's historical coverage area.

In one implementation, a mobile device compares a generated randomnumber to a modified value, such as a reporting parameter value that ismultiplied by a timing advance value having an exponent applied. Themodified value may be determined by Equation 2, defined as:

RP*(TA/dr)^((h))  (Eq. 2)

For Equation 2, RP, TA, and d are defined as for Equation 1. Theexponential factor (h) is a historical factor. The value of (h) may bebased on a historical distribution of mobile devices within a coveragearea of a radio. For example, a radio that covers a busy highway locatedin a sparsely populated area may serve mobile devices that are typicallylocated close to the radio (e.g., on the highway). The radio and mobiledevices may operate on a network where a timing advance of 1 correspondsto a distance of 100 m, and d may have a value of 10. The exponent (h)may have a value of 1.3 (e.g., historically, mobile devices are 130%more likely to be located within 1 km of the radio). The radio maybroadcast a reporting parameter with a value of 0.1. A first mobiledevice located 1000 m from the radio may determine a first modifiedvalue as (0.1)*(10/10)^((1,3)), and may compare a first random number(e.g., between 0 and 1) to the modified value of 0.1 (e.g., reportingoccurs with a probability of 10%). A second mobile device located 500 mfrom the radio may determine a second modified value as(0.1)*(5/10)^((1,3)), and may compare a second random number to thesecond modified value of about 0.04 (e.g., reporting occurs with aprobability of about 4%). A third mobile device located 4000 m from theradio may determine a third modified value as (0.1)*(40/10)^((1,3)), andmay compare a third random number to the third modified value of about0.6 (e.g., reporting occurs with a probability of about 60%). Mobiledevices located farther from the radio may be exponentially more likelyto report operating information.

In some cases, the decision to report based on a modifying factorincluding an exponent may provide information from more mobile deviceslocated in areas with a low concentration of mobile devices. Forexample, a radio may serve mobile devices where nearly all of the mobiledevices are located near the radio's location. FIG. 6A depicts anexample network conditions map 600 of the radio's operation, based oncomparing a generated random number to an unmodified reporting parametervalue. The conditions map 600 may represent the radio by icon 610, ahistorical coverage area of the radio by icon 620, and mobile devicesthat have reported operation information by icons such as icon 650. Aparticular mobile device in communication with the radio may determinewhether or not to report by comparing a generated random number to thevalue of the reporting parameter broadcast by the radio. Based on thistype of comparison, conditions map 600 may provide a more accuraterepresentation of network operations near the location of the radio, buta less accurate representation of network operations near the edges ofthe radio's historical coverage area because of the low concentration ofmobile devices located in that area.

FIG. 6B depicts an example network conditions map 601 of the radio'soperation, based on comparing a generated random number to a reportingparameter value that is modified based on distance, such as by Equation2. The conditions map 601 may represent the radio by icon 611, thehistorical coverage area by icon 621, and the mobile devices that havereported information by icons such as icon 651. A particular mobiledevice in communication with the radio may receive the reportingparameter broadcast by the radio, and store the value of the reportingparameter. The particular mobile device may modify the stored valuebased on the timing advance of the mobile device and an exponent basedon a historical distribution of mobile devices within the radio'shistorical coverage area. The particular mobile device may determinewhether or not to report by comparing a generated random number to themodified value. Comparisons based on modified values including anexponent may increase the likelihood that mobile devices having a highertiming advance (e.g., located farther from the radio) will reportoperation information. Based on this type of comparison, conditions map601 may provide a representation of network operations with consistentaccuracy over the radio's coverage area.

In some cases, modifying factors, one or more components of modifyingfactors (e.g., values of d or h), or an indication of whether to modifythe reporting parameter may be predetermined, such based on as a settingof the mobile device. In addition, modifying factors, components, or anindication of whether to modify the reporting parameter may be based onan indication included in a broadcast message. In some cases, aparticular radio broadcasts a message that includes values orindications that are related to the particular radio (e.g., a value of hrelated to the radio's historical distribution).

FIG. 7 is a flow chart depicting an example of a process for determiningwhether or not to report information regarding mobile device operation.In some implementations, operations related to FIG. 7 may be performedby a mobile device communicating with a radio access node. Forillustrative purposes, the process 700 is described with regards to theexamples depicted in FIGS. 1-6.

At block 710, the mobile device may receive a reporting parameter fromthe radio. The reporting parameter may be broadcast by the radio via acontrol channel of the radio. The reporting parameter may include avalue, or other indications.

At block 720, the mobile device may check the value of the reportingparameter. The value may be checked responsive to the occurrence of atrigger event, such as a request to place a voice call, or the receiptof a data transmission.

At block 725, the mobile device may determine whether the reportingparameter has a particular value (e.g., zero). Responsive to determiningthat the value of the reporting parameter is the particular value,process 700 may proceed to block 770 to process the trigger event.Responsive to determining that the reporting parameter has a value otherthan the particular value, process 700 may proceed to block 730.

At block 730, the mobile device may generate a random number. In someimplementations, the random number may be generated according to one ormore criteria, such as within a range of 0 to 1 (inclusive).

At block 740, the mobile device may compare the generated random numberto the value of the reporting parameter. In some implementations, thevalue may be modified based on one or more modifying factors prior tothe comparison. A relationship between the random number and the value(e.g., the reporting parameter value or the modified value) may bedetermined based on the comparison.

At block 745, the mobile device may determine whether the relationshipbetween the random number and the value satisfies predeterminedcriteria. For example, the mobile device may determine that the randomnumber exceeds the value, or is within a particular range of the value.Responsive to determining that the relationship satisfies thepredetermined criteria, process 700 may proceed to block 750. Responsiveto determining that the relationship does not satisfy the predeterminedcriteria, process 700 may proceed to block 770 to process the triggerevent.

At block 750, the mobile device may generate a message includingoperation data. The included operation data may describe currentoperations of the mobile device or current operations of the radio asseen by the mobile device. In addition, the included operation data maydescribe historical operations of the mobile device or the radio, suchas an indication of radios in recent communication with the device.

At block 760, the mobile device may transmit the generated message, suchas to a network control device. The generated message may be transmittedvia the radio that provided the reporting parameter, such as describedin regards to block 710. Alternatively, the generated message may betransmitted via a different radio. For example, if the mobile devicecommunicates with a different radio subsequent to receiving thereporting parameter, the generated message may be transmitted by thatradio. In some cases, process 700 may proceed to other operations, suchas operations related to block 770, after performing operations relatedto block 760. In addition, process 700 may proceed to other operations,such as a start point or an end point.

At block 770, the mobile device may process the trigger event. Forexample, the mobile device may place the voice call or continue toreceive the data transmission. In some implementations, operationsrelated to block 770 may be performed concurrently with otheroperations, such as operations related to one or more of blocks 725 or750. In addition, process 700 may proceed to other operations, such as astart point or an end point, after performing operations related toblock 770.

In some implementations, operations included in process 700 may beperformed in conjunction with additional operations. For example, one ormore operations included in process 700 may be performed responsive todetermining a status of the mobile device, such as a battery level,charging status, or a GPS signal strength.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart depicting an example of a process for determininga multiplicative modifying factor based on a timing advance. In someimplementations, operations related to process 800 may be performed by amobile device. For illustrative purposes, the process 800 is describedwith regards to the examples depicted in FIGS. 1-7.

At block 810, the mobile device may receive a timing advance related toa communication session with a radio. The timing advance may be receivedfrom the radio. In addition, the timing advance may be determined by themobile device. In some implementations, the value of the timing advancemay be dependent on one or more of the distance of the mobile devicefrom the radio, or a mobile network technology (e.g., GSM, LTE) used bythe mobile device and the radio.

At block 820, the mobile device may determine a distance factor. Thedistance factor may be based on the mobile network technology used bythe mobile device and the radio. In some cases, the distance factor maybe predetermined, such as based on a setting of the mobile device. Inaddition, the distance factor may be based on an indication included ina broadcast by the radio.

At block 830, the mobile device may determine the multiplicativemodifying factor. For example, the modifying factor may be determinedbased on the timing advance divided by the distance factor.

At block 840, the mobile device may modify the value of a reportingparameter based on the determined modifying factor. For example, themodified value of the reporting parameter may be based on amultiplication with the determined modifying factor, such as describedin regards to Equation 1. The modified value may be used in a comparisonwith a generated random number, such as described in regards to block740 in FIG. 7.

In some implementations, operations included in process 800 may beperformed in conjunction with other processes, such as operationsrelated to one or more of blocks 740 or 745 in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart depicting an example of a process for determiningan exponential modifying factor based on a timing advance and ahistorical distribution. In some implementations, operations related toprocess 900 may be performed by a mobile device. For illustrativepurposes, the process 900 is described with regards to the examplesdepicted in FIGS. 1-8.

At block 910, the mobile device may receive a timing advance related toa communication session with a radio. The timing advance may be receivedfrom the radio. In addition, the timing advance may be determined by themobile device. In some implementations, the value of the timing advancemay be dependent on one or more of the distance of the mobile devicefrom the radio, or a mobile network technology (e.g., GSM, LTE) used bythe mobile device and the radio.

At block 920, the mobile device may determine a distance factor. Thedistance factor may be based on the mobile network technology used bythe mobile device and the radio. In some cases, the distance factor maybe predetermined, such as based on a setting of the mobile device. Inaddition, the distance factor may be based on an indication included ina broadcast by the radio.

At block 930, the mobile device may receive a historical factor. Thehistorical factor may be based on a historical distribution of mobiledevices within a coverage area of the radio providing the timingadvance. In some cases, the historical factor may be based on anindication included in a broadcast.

At block 940, the mobile device may determine the exponential modifyingfactor. For example, the modifying factor may be determined based onapplying the historical factor as an exponent to the value of the timingadvance divided by the distance factor.

At block 950, the mobile device may modify the value of a reportingparameter based on the determined modifying factor. For example, themodified value of the reporting parameter may be based on amultiplication with the determined modifying factor, such as describedin regards to Equation 2. The modified value may be used in a comparisonwith a generated random number, such as described in regards to block740 in FIG. 7.

In some implementations, operations included in process 900 may beperformed in conjunction with other processes, such as operationsrelated to one or more of blocks 740 or 745 in FIG. 7. In addition,operations included in process 900 may be performed in conjunction withoperations described in relation to FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart depicting an example of a process fordetermining mobile network operating conditions based on informationreceived from radios and/or mobile devices included in the network. Insome implementations, operations related to FIG. 10 may be performed bya network control device communicating with one or more radio accessnodes and mobile devices. For illustrative purposes, the process 1000 isdescribed with regards to the examples depicted in FIGS. 1-9.

At block 1010, the network control device may receive operationinformation from one or more radios included in the mobile network. Forexample, the received information may indicate availability of the oneor more radios. In some cases, the received information may indicateupdated operation information.

At block 1020, the network control device may determine currentoperating conditions of the mobile network, based on the receivedoperation information. In some cases, the current operation conditionscorrespond to normal operations, such as if the received informationindicates good network conditions (e.g., all or nearly all radios reportfull functionality). In some cases, the current operations correspond toimpaired operations, such as if the received information indicates poornetwork conditions (e.g., some radios report error conditions ornonfunctionality).

The network control device may request operating information frommultiple mobile devices in communication with the radios. At block 1030,the network control device may set a value of a reporting parameter. Thereporting parameter may be set to a first value, such as a valueselected so that relatively few mobile devices report (e.g., one out of10,000 mobile devices). The first value may correspond to normaloperations of the mobile network. In addition, the reporting parametermay be set to a second value selected to increase the likelihood that amobile device reports so that more mobile devices communicating on themobile network report (e.g., one out of 100 mobile devices). The secondvalue may correspond to impaired operations of the mobile network. Insome cases, the network control device may set multiple values formultiple respective reporting parameters.

At block 1040, the reporting parameter may be broadcast by one or moreradios. For example, the network control device may provide instructionsto a radio to broadcast the reporting parameter using the controlchannel of the radio. In some cases, the network control device mayprovide multiple groups of radios with respective instructions. Forexample, a first group of radios may receive instructions to broadcast areporting parameter having the first value, and a second group of radiosmay receive instructions to broadcast a reporting parameter having thesecond value.

At block 1050, the network control device may receive operationinformation from one or more mobile devices communicating on the mobilenetwork. For example, a subset of the mobile devices may respond to therequest for information based on the broadcast reporting parameter. Theoperation information may be included in a message provided by eachmobile device in the subset. In addition, each message may includelocation information of the respective mobile device. In some cases, afirst subset of mobile devices may respond based on the reportingparameter having the first value, and a second subset of mobile devicesmay respond based on the reporting parameter having the second value.

At block 1060, the network control device may define a coverage area. Insome cases, the coverage area may be defined based on the locationinformation provided by the subset of mobile devices. In addition, thecoverage area may be defined based on the availability informationregarding the radios. In some cases, the coverage area is revised basedon the mobile device operation information and the radio operationinformation.

In one implementation, operations related to process 1000 are repeated.For example, if current operating conditions of the mobile network arenormal, the network control device may repeat operations related to oneor more of blocks 1010 and 1020, such as until a determination is madeto request more information. The determination to request informationmay be based on a received indication, such as an indication receivedfrom a user interface or an indication of an elapsed period of timesince a previous request for more information. In addition, thedetermination to request information may be based on determining achange in the current operating condition of the mobile network.

In addition, the network control device may repeat operations related toone or more of blocks 1030, 1040, 1050, and 1060. For example, if thecurrent operating conditions of the mobile network correspond to normalconditions, the network control device may set the reporting parameterto the first value. In addition, if the current network conditionscorrespond to impaired conditions, the network control device may adjustthe reporting parameter to the second value. The adjusted reportingparameter may be broadcast by a subset of the radios on the mobilenetwork. For example, if the network control device receives operationinformation indicating that a radio is nonfunctional, an adjustedreporting parameter may be broadcast to a subset of radios including thenonfunctional radio and one or more nearby radios. In some cases, thecoverage area is revised based on mobile device information based on theadjusted reporting parameter.

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

Numerous specific details are set forth herein to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the claimed subject matter. However, those skilled inthe art will understand that the claimed subject matter may be practicedwithout these specific details. In other instances, methods,apparatuses, or systems that would be known by one of ordinary skillhave not been described in detail so as not to obscure claimed subjectmatter.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, it is appreciated that throughoutthis specification discussions utilizing terms such as “processing,”“computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” and “identifying” or the likerefer to actions or processes of a computing device, such as one or morecomputers or a similar electronic computing device or devices, thatmanipulate or transform data represented as physical electronic ormagnetic quantities within memories, registers, or other informationstorage devices, transmission devices, or display devices of thecomputing platform.

The system or systems discussed herein are not limited to any particularhardware architecture or configuration. A computing device can includeany suitable arrangement of components that provides a resultconditioned on one or more inputs. Suitable computing devices includemultipurpose microprocessor-based computer systems accessing storedsoftware that programs or configures the computing system from a generalpurpose computing apparatus to a specialized computing apparatusimplementing one or more embodiments of the present subject matter. Anysuitable programming, scripting, or other type of language orcombinations of languages may be used to implement the teachingscontained herein in software to be used in programming or configuring acomputing device.

Embodiments of the methods disclosed herein may be performed in theoperation of such computing devices. The order of the blocks presentedin the examples above can be varied—for example, blocks can bere-ordered, combined, and/or broken into sub-blocks. Certain blocks orprocesses can be performed in parallel.

The use of “adapted to” or “configured to” herein is meant as open andinclusive language that does not foreclose devices adapted to orconfigured to perform additional tasks or steps. Additionally, the useof “based on” is meant to be open and inclusive, in that a process,step, calculation, or other action “based on” one or more recitedconditions or values may, in practice, be based on additional conditionsor values beyond those recited. Headings, lists, and numbering includedherein are for ease of explanation only and are not meant to belimiting.

While the present subject matter has been described in detail withrespect to specific embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated thatthose skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of theforegoing, may readily produce alterations to, variations of, andequivalents to such embodiments. Accordingly, it should be understoodthat the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of examplerather than limitation, and does not preclude inclusion of suchmodifications, variations, and/or additions to the present subjectmatter as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

The implementations described herein are examples, and the features ofdifferent implementations may be combined to achieve many differenttechniques, without departing from the described invention. For all ofthe provided examples and figures, the values and ranges are exemplaryonly, and may be changed without departing from the scope of theinvention. The depicted and described services, attributes, and valuesare exemplary, and different characteristics may be used withoutdeparting from the described invention.

The foregoing descriptions and examples are provided for purposes ofillustrating, explaining, and describing aspects of the presentinvention. Further modifications and adaptations to these examples willbe apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. The exemplary systems andmethods represented here may be implemented independently, inconjunction with a different one of the systems described, or inconjunction with a system not described herein. In some implementations,one or more of the techniques described herein may be performed on amobile device based on an agreement, by a user of the device, to allowperformance of the technique for a certain purpose (e.g., “opt-in”agreement). The agreement may be requested based on regulatoryrequirements in the user's region.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for reporting by a mobile device,comprising: receiving a broadcast message that includes a firstreporting parameter having a first value; upon initiation of a firstcommunication event of the mobile device, checking the first reportingparameter; based on the first reporting parameter having the firstvalue, completing the first communication event; receiving a secondbroadcast message that includes a second reporting parameter having asecond value; upon initiation of a second communication event of themobile device, checking the second reporting parameter; based on thesecond reporting parameter having a value other than the first value:applying a modifier based on a distance between the mobile device and aradio access node in communication with the mobile device to the secondvalue to obtain a modified value, generating a random number, comparingthe random number and the modified value, when the comparing the randomnumber and the modified value indicates that a relationship between therandom number and the modified value satisfies a predeterminedcriterion, generating a message that includes information related to anoperation of the mobile device and transmitting the message to a networkcontrol device; and completing the second communication event.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the information related to the operation ofthe mobile device includes at least one of: a geographic location of themobile device, a history of recent operations of the mobile device, or asignal strength of the radio access node.
 3. The method of claim 1,further comprising: prior to generating the message that includes theinformation related to the operation of the mobile device, confirmingone or more of the following: a global positioning system (GPS) signalstrength of the mobile device satisfies a signal strength threshold, acharging status of the mobile device indicates that the mobile device ischarging, or a battery level of the mobile device satisfies a batterythreshold.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communicationevent corresponds to one or more of: a voice call, a data transmission,a message via a short message service, or a message via a multimediamessage service.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein a type of the firstcommunication event is specified in the broadcast message.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein the distance between the mobile device and the radioaccess node is based on a timing advance.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein the timing advance indicates the distance between the mobiledevice and the radio access node, and wherein applying the modifierbased on the distance increases a likelihood that the modified valuesatisfies the predetermined criterion when the mobile device is locatedfarther from the radio access node.
 8. The method of claim 1, whereinthe relationship between the random number and the modified value ismore likely to satisfy the predetermined criterion as the distancebetween the mobile device and the radio access node increases.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the second broadcast message includes adefinition of the modifier.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein theinformation related to the operation of the mobile device is determinedbased on one or more of the broadcast message or the first communicationevent.
 11. A mobile device, comprising: a transceiver for sending andreceiving messages via a radio access node; a memory for storingcomputer-executable instructions; and a processor for executing thecomputer-executable instructions stored in the memory to configure themobile device to: receive a broadcast message that includes a firstreporting parameter having a first value; upon initiation of a firstcommunication event of the mobile device, check the first reportingparameter; based on the first reporting parameter having the firstvalue, complete the first communication event; receive a secondbroadcast message that includes a second reporting parameter having asecond value; upon initiation of a second communication event of themobile device, check the second reporting parameter; based on the secondreporting parameter having a value other than the first value: apply amodifier based on a distance between the mobile device and a radioaccess node in communication with the mobile device to the second valueto obtain a modified value, generate a random number, compare the randomnumber and the modified value, when the comparing the random number andthe modified value indicates that a relationship between the randomnumber and the modified value satisfies a predetermined criterion,generate a message that includes information related to an operation ofthe mobile device and transmitting the message to a network controldevice; and complete the second communication event.
 12. The mobiledevice of claim 11, wherein the information related to the operation ofthe mobile device includes at least one of: a geographic location of themobile device, a history of recent operations of the mobile device, or asignal strength of the radio access node.
 13. The mobile device of claim11, wherein the processor executes the computer-executable instructionsto further configure the mobile device to: prior to generating themessage that includes the information related to the operation of themobile device, confirm one or more of the following: a globalpositioning system (GPS) signal strength of the mobile device satisfiesa signal strength threshold, a charging status of the mobile deviceindicates that the mobile device is charging, or a battery level of themobile device satisfies a battery threshold.
 14. The mobile device ofclaim 11, wherein the first communication event corresponds to one ormore of: a voice call, a data transmission, a message via a shortmessage service, or a message via a multimedia message service.
 15. Themobile device of claim 11, wherein a type of the first communicationevent is specified in the broadcast message.
 16. The mobile device ofclaim 11, wherein the distance between the mobile device and the radioaccess node is based on a timing advance.
 17. The mobile device of claim16, wherein the timing advance indicates the distance between the mobiledevice and the radio access node, and wherein applying the modifierbased on the distance increases a likelihood that the modified valuesatisfies the predetermined criterion when the mobile device is locatedfarther from the radio access node.
 18. The mobile device of claim 11,wherein the relationship between the random number and the modifiedvalue is more likely to satisfy the predetermined criterion as thedistance between the mobile device and the radio access node increases.19. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the second broadcast messageincludes a definition of the modifier.
 20. The mobile device of claim11, wherein the information related to the operation of the mobiledevice is determined based on one or more of the broadcast message orthe first communication event.